History of the Renaissance World by Susan Wise Bauer
"The First Crusade had just ended--and with it, an age." This third history from Susan Wise Bauer takes us from the late middle ages to the conquest of Constantinople. Bauer tells us early on that this is not a history of the Renaissance, but simply uses the Renaissance as the time signature that … [Read more]
Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard
"Wars came early to Shaghai, overtaking each other like the tides that raced up the Yangtze and returned to this gaudy city all the coffins cast adrift from the funeral piers of the Chinese Bund." This a roman a clef more or less by J.G. Ballard, or even something close to a kind of autofiction … [Read more]
A Gun for Sale by Graham Greene
"Murder didn't mean much to Raven. It was just a new job." This is an early Graham Greene novel, and is probably most correctly labeled one of his "entertainments". But like all the rest of the entertainments, there's too much skill, talent, irony, and brain working here to find that an adequate … [Read more]
The Collected Stories of Clarice Lispector by Clarice Lispector
"Now that the affair is behind me, I can recollect it more serenely." This sentence opens up an early long story by Clarice Lispector, where a woman involves in an intense affair finds out what happens when things simply change one day. This story, from around 1950, feels like an early … [Read more]
Cantora: Mercedes Sosa, the Voice of Latin America by Melissa Fernandez Nitsche
CBR15Passport country We know the story of a child of poverty making a name for themselves, but how many know the story of Mercedes Sosa? In the picture book by Melissa Fernandez Nitsche, Cantora: Mercedes Sosa, the Voice of Latin America we learn about a young girl who would sing, and that … [Read more]
Broadway Baby by Russell Miller
When I started Broadway Baby my first thought was well, this is cut…. Whoa! That’s a bit off-putting! The tone of the book is a 45-year-old man talking to us, but the character is wearing snazzy diapers and fabulous clothing. I got vibes of all the promos and images of Man From Oz (as I have not … [Read more]
